Preview: USMNT, Ireland meet Saturday in Dublin for international friendly

Republic of Ireland vs. United States
International Friendly
Aviva Stadium — Dublin
Saturday, June 2 — 2 pm CT
WATCH: ESPN2, UniMás, UDN

Following a 3-0 win over Bolivia on Monday, the US national team head to Europe for a pair of international friendlies a week apart, beginning with a match against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

U.S. coach Dave Sarachan shuffled the deck a bit, bringing in 10 new players, while releasing seven others from the 22-man roster for Bolivia.

The team is still young — averaging 23 years of age — with veterans DeAndre Yedlin and Bobby Wood joining the fray, along with the New York Red Bulls duo of Tyler Adams and Tim Parker, and Zack Steffen and Wil Trapp from Columbus Crew SC.

“We’re excited about the chance to add some of the veterans from Europe as well as younger guys in MLS who have been part of our group since November,” Sarachan said in a statement. “The games against Ireland and France will bring increasingly more difficult challenges, so we felt it was important to bring in some players that offer a bit more experience. These matches provide another big development opportunity for these players who are growing in their international careers.”

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United States Outlook

With a bolstered roster of 25 players for the two friendlies, it is likely that Sarachan has some roster rotation for the final two matches until September.

Six players earned their first cap against Bolivia — Alex Bono, Erik Palmer-Brown, Antonee Robinson, Josh Sargent, Keaton Parks and Matt Olosunde — and three could make their first appearance against Ireland — Parker, Luca de la Torre and Shaq Moore.

Adams is seeking a fourth consecutive appearance with the United States after earning a penalty kick Wood converted in a 1-0 win over Paraguay on March 28, while Trapp has worn the U.S. armband in his last two appearances, the 0-0 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the victory against Paraguay.

Steffen comes into camp riding a club-record five-match shutout streak that spans 505 minutes.

Ireland Outlook

Ireland will face the United States in their second friendly before meeting Wales in their first match of the newly-formed UEFA Nations League in September. Like the U.S., Martin O’Neil’s side narrowly missed qualification to the FIFA World Cup, losing to Denmark 5-1 on aggregate in a UEFA playoff.

On Wednesday, Ireland fell to France, 2-0, at a rain-soaked Stade de France, with Blackburn Rovers’ Derrick Williams and Milwall’s Shaun Williams earning their first international appearances, while Shamrock Rovers striker Graham Burke became the first League of Ireland player to earn an Ireland cap since 2007.

Olivier Giroud and Nabil Fekir struck just before halftime to lift Les Bleus, who will face Italy Friday before taking on the United States in their final World Cup tune-up June 9 in Lyon.

Ireland’s squad is largely made up of players from the English Championship.

History

The United States are 2-5-2 all-time against Ireland. The last match was Nov. 18, 2014, a 4-1 loss in Dublin. Mix Diskerud scored the lone United States goal, a 39th-minute leveler, while Robbie Brady struck for a second-half brace to lift Ireland.

Players to Watch

United States — Tim Parker. While we’ve seen what Yedlin and Wood can do on the international level, and even how well Adams has done, it is exciting to see what Parker can bring to the center back position with the United States. At 25, the powerful and deceptively quick Parker could throw his hat in the ring in that position for the future with a strong performance against Ireland or France.

Ireland — James McClean. The 29-year-old midfielder has 10 goals in 57 appearances for Ireland, including the dramatic lone goal at Cardiff City Stadium that sent Ireland past Wales and into the World Cup playoff against Denmark. He reportedly turned down a move to the New York Red Bulls in 2015, and could be in line for a return to the English Premier League despite extending his contract with recently-relegated West Bromwich Albion.

United States Roster

Ireland Roster